arXiv subjects

Zhiping Mao

Publications and source records attributed to Zhiping Mao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Multi-stage neural operator learning with application for convolutions

Convolution integrals widely exist in applications, and to enable fast and accurate computations, this paper introduces two general multi-stage neural operator learning frameworks. The first, Deep Collocation Neural Operator (DCNO), is a supervised approach that iteratively refines the operator approximation by learning residuals from input-output data pairs. The second, Deep Galerkin Neural Operator (DGNO), is an unsupervised framework applicable when the target operator can be represented by a PDE, leveraging the weak form of the PDE residual for training. Both methods progressively construct basis operators through multiple training stages to enrich the approximation space, leading to significantly improved accuracy over standard one-shot operator learning. We provide theoretical analysis for their approximation capabilities and implement them for learning convolutions. Extensive numerical experiments demonstrate that both DCNO and DGNO achieve high accuracy, approaching machine precision under single float for convolution problems, and offer substantial efficiency gains for numerous queries or parametric variations compared to traditional solvers. We also extend these frameworks to handle multi-input operator learning scenarios involving variations in both the density and kernel of a convolution.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2026

ViT-K: A Few-Shot Learning Model for Coupled Fluid-Porous Media Flows with Interface Conditions

The numerical simulation of interaction between free flow and porous media, governed by coupled Stokes/Navier--Stokes--Darcy flows, is critical for understanding fluid filtration and physiological transport, yet it is hindered by the high computational cost of resolving interface heterogeneities and the instability of long-term predictions. While deep learning offers surrogate modeling potential, existing frameworks often suffer from exponential error accumulation and poor convergence in multi-physics regimes. To address these limitations, we propose ViT-K, a novel few-shot learning model designed to learn the spatiotemporal evolution of coupled flows from sparse datasets. The ViT-K framework effectively reconstructs the global flow physics on a low-dimensional manifold by combining Vision Transformers (ViT) to capture heterogeneous interfacial features with the Koopman operator to linearize temporal dynamics. By lifting nonlinear dynamics into a globally linear observable space, the ViT-K model provides stability by design, ensuring that prediction errors grow linearly rather than exponentially over time. This theoretical property enables reliable long-term extrapolation even in small-sample regimes. Numerical experiments on benchmark coupled systems demonstrate that ViT-K not only captures complex interface physics with high fidelity but also exhibits exceptional robustness against measurement noise by acting as an implicit spectral filter. The proposed method significantly outperforms traditional solvers in inference speed while maintaining physical consistency, offering a robust paradigm for real-time multiphysics forecasting.

math.NA↗

arXiv2025

Error Bound Analysis of Physics-Informed Neural Networks-Driven T2 Quantification in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINN) are emerging as a promising approach for quantitative parameter estimation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). While existing deep learning methods can provide an accurate quantitative estimation of the T2 parameter, they still require large amounts of training data and lack theoretical support and a recognized gold standard. Thus, given the absence of PINN-based approaches for T2 estimation, we propose embedding the fundamental physics of MRI, the Bloch equation, in the loss of PINN, which is solely based on target scan data and does not require a pre-defined training database. Furthermore, by deriving rigorous upper bounds for both the T2 estimation error and the generalization error of the Bloch equation solution, we establish a theoretical foundation for evaluating the PINN's quantitative accuracy. Even without access to the ground truth or a gold standard, this theory enables us to estimate the error with respect to the real quantitative parameter T2. The accuracy of T2 mapping and the validity of the theoretical analysis are demonstrated on a numerical cardiac model and a water phantom, where our method exhibits excellent quantitative precision in the myocardial T2 range. Clinical applicability is confirmed in 94 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients, achieving low-error quantitative T2 estimation under the theoretical error bound, highlighting the robustness and potential of PINN.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2025

A Data-Driven Framework for Discovering Fractional Differential Equations in Complex Systems

In complex physical systems, conventional differential equations often fall short in capturing non-local and memory effects, as they are limited to local dynamics and integer-order interactions. This study introduces a stepwise data-driven framework for discovering fractional differential equations (FDEs) directly from data. FDEs, known for their capacity to model non-local dynamics with fewer parameters than integer-order derivatives, can represent complex systems with long-range interactions. Our framework applies deep neural networks as surrogate models for denoising and reconstructing sparse and noisy observations while using Gaussian-Jacobi quadrature to handle the challenges posed by singularities in fractional derivatives. To optimize both the sparse coefficients and fractional order, we employ an alternating optimization approach that combines sparse regression with global optimization techniques. We validate the framework across various datasets, including synthetic anomalous diffusion data, experimental data on the creep behavior of frozen soils, and single-particle trajectories modeled by Lévy motion. Results demonstrate the framework's robustness in identifying the structure of FDEs across diverse noise levels and its capacity to capture integer-order dynamics, offering a flexible approach for modeling memory effects in complex systems.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2025

A novel class of arbitrary high-order numerical schemes for fractional differential equations

A novel efficient and high accuracy numerical method for the time-fractional differential equations (TFDEs) is proposed in this work. We show the equivalence between TFDEs and the integer-order extended parametric differential equations (EPDE) by dimensional expanding, and establish the stability of EPDE. We apply BDF-$k$ formula for the temporal discretization, while we use the Jacobi spectral collocation method for the discretization of the extended direction. We analyze the stability of the proposed method and give rigorous error estimates with order $O(Δt^{k} + M^{-m})$, where $Δt$ and $M$ are time step size and number of collocation nodes in extended direction, respectively. Also, we point out that the computational cost and the storage requirement is essentially the same as the integer problems, namely, the computational cost and the storage of the present algorithm are $O(N)$ and $O(1)$, respectively, where $N$ is the total number of time step. We present several numerical examples, including both linear and nonlinear problems, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and to validate the theoretical results

math.NA↗

arXiv2025

Deep collocation method: A framework for solving PDEs using neural networks with error control

Neural networks have shown significant potential in solving partial differential equations (PDEs). While deep networks are capable of approximating complex functions, direct one-shot training often faces limitations in both accuracy and computational efficiency. To address these challenges, we propose an adaptive method that uses single-hidden-layer neural networks to construct basis functions guided by the equation residual. The approximate solution is computed within the space spanned by these basis functions, employing a collocation least squares scheme. As the approximation space gradually expands, the solution is iteratively refined; meanwhile, the progressive improvements serve as reliable {\it a posteriori} error indicators that guide the termination of the sequential updates. Additionally, we introduce adaptive strategies for collocation point selection and parameter initialization to enhance robustness and improve the expressiveness of the neural networks. We also derive the approximation error estimate and validate the proposed method with several numerical experiments on various challenging PDEs, demonstrating both high accuracy and robustness of the proposed method.

math.NA↗

arXiv2023

Operator Learning Enhanced Physics-informed Neural Networks for Solving Partial Differential Equations Characterized by Sharp Solutions

Physics-informed Neural Networks (PINNs) have been shown as a promising approach for solving both forward and inverse problems of partial differential equations (PDEs). Meanwhile, the neural operator approach, including methods such as Deep Operator Network (DeepONet) and Fourier neural operator (FNO), has been introduced and extensively employed in approximating solution of PDEs. Nevertheless, to solve problems consisting of sharp solutions poses a significant challenge when employing these two approaches. To address this issue, we propose in this work a novel framework termed Operator Learning Enhanced Physics-informed Neural Networks (OL-PINN). Initially, we utilize DeepONet to learn the solution operator for a set of smooth problems relevant to the PDEs characterized by sharp solutions. Subsequently, we integrate the pre-trained DeepONet with PINN to resolve the target sharp solution problem. We showcase the efficacy of OL-PINN by successfully addressing various problems, such as the nonlinear diffusion-reaction equation, the Burgers equation and the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation at high Reynolds number. Compared with the vanilla PINN, the proposed method requires only a small number of residual points to achieve a strong generalization capability. Moreover, it substantially enhances accuracy, while also ensuring a robust training process. Furthermore, OL-PINN inherits the advantage of PINN for solving inverse problems. To this end, we apply the OL-PINN approach for solving problems with only partial boundary conditions, which usually cannot be solved by the classical numerical methods, showing its capacity in solving ill-posed problems and consequently more complex inverse problems.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2023

Physics-informed neural networks with residual/gradient-based adaptive sampling methods for solving PDEs with sharp solutions

We consider solving the forward and inverse PDEs which have sharp solutions using physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) in this work. In particular, to better capture the sharpness of the solution, we propose adaptive sampling methods (ASMs) based on the residual and the gradient of the solution. We first present a residual only based ASM algorithm denoted by ASM I. In this approach, we first train the neural network by using a small number of residual points and divide the computational domain into a certain number of sub-domains, we then add new residual points in the sub-domain which has the largest mean absolute value of the residual, and those points which have largest absolute values of the residual in this sub-domain will be added as new residual points. We further develop a second type of ASM algorithm (denoted by ASM II) based on both the residual and the gradient of the solution due to the fact that only the residual may be not able to efficiently capture the sharpness of the solution. The procedure of ASM II is almost the same as that of ASM I except that in ASM II, we add new residual points which not only have large residual but also large gradient. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the present methods, we employ both ASM I and ASM II to solve a number of PDEs, including Burger equation, compressible Euler equation, Poisson equation over an L-shape domain as well as high-dimensional Poisson equation. It has been shown from the numerical results that the sharp solutions can be well approximated by using either ASM I or ASM II algorithm, and both methods deliver much more accurate solution than original PINNs with the same number of residual points. Moreover, the ASM II algorithm has better performance in terms of accuracy, efficiency and stability compared with the ASM I algorithm.

math.NA↗

arXiv2022

Analysis and Hermite spectral approximation of diffusive-viscous wave equations in unbounded domains arising in geophysics

The diffusive-viscous wave equation (DVWE) is widely used in seismic exploration since it can explain frequency-dependent seismic reflections in a reservoir with hydrocarbons. Most of the existing numerical approximations for the DVWE are based on domain truncation with ad hoc boundary conditions. However, this would generate artificial reflections as well as truncation errors. To this end, we directly consider the DVWE in unbounded domains. We first show the existence, uniqueness, and regularity of the solution of the DVWE. We then develop a Hermite spectral Galerkin scheme and derive the corresponding error estimate showing that the Hermite spectral Galerkin approximation delivers a spectral rate of convergence provided sufficiently smooth solutions. Several numerical experiments with constant and discontinuous coefficients are provided to verify the theoretical result and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. In particular, We verify the error estimate for both smooth and non-smooth source terms and initial conditions. In view of the error estimate and the regularity result, we show the sharpness of the convergence rate in terms of the regularity of the source term. We also show that the artificial reflection does not occur by using the present method.

math.NA↗

arXiv2022

Physics-informed neural networks for inverse problems in supersonic flows

Accurate solutions to inverse supersonic compressible flow problems are often required for designing specialized aerospace vehicles. In particular, we consider the problem where we have data available for density gradients from Schlieren photography as well as data at the inflow and part of wall boundaries. These inverse problems are notoriously difficult and traditional methods may not be adequate to solve such ill-posed inverse problems. To this end, we employ the physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) and its extended version, extended PINNs (XPINNs), where domain decomposition allows deploying locally powerful neural networks in each subdomain, which can provide additional expressivity in subdomains, where a complex solution is expected. Apart from the governing compressible Euler equations, we also enforce the entropy conditions in order to obtain viscosity solutions. Moreover, we enforce positivity conditions on density and pressure. We consider inverse problems involving two-dimensional expansion waves, two-dimensional oblique and bow shock waves. We compare solutions obtained by PINNs and XPINNs and invoke some theoretical results that can be used to decide on the generalization errors of the two methods.

math.NA↗

arXiv2021

A comprehensive and fair comparison of two neural operators (with practical extensions) based on FAIR data

Neural operators can learn nonlinear mappings between function spaces and offer a new simulation paradigm for real-time prediction of complex dynamics for realistic diverse applications as well as for system identification in science and engineering. Herein, we investigate the performance of two neural operators, and we develop new practical extensions that will make them more accurate and robust and importantly more suitable for industrial-complexity applications. The first neural operator, DeepONet, was published in 2019, and the second one, named Fourier Neural Operator or FNO, was published in 2020. In order to compare FNO with DeepONet for realistic setups, we develop several extensions of FNO that can deal with complex geometric domains as well as mappings where the input and output function spaces are of different dimensions. We also endow DeepONet with special features that provide inductive bias and accelerate training, and we present a faster implementation of DeepONet with cost comparable to the computational cost of FNO. We consider 16 different benchmarks to demonstrate the relative performance of the two neural operators, including instability wave analysis in hypersonic boundary layers, prediction of the vorticity field of a flapping airfoil, porous media simulations in complex-geometry domains, etc. The performance of DeepONet and FNO is comparable for relatively simple settings, but for complex geometries and especially noisy data, the performance of FNO deteriorates greatly. For example, for the instability wave analysis with only 0.1% noise added to the input data, the error of FNO increases 10000 times making it inappropriate for such important applications, while there is hardly any effect of such noise on the DeepONet. We also compare theoretically the two neural operators and obtain similar error estimates for DeepONet and FNO under the same regularity assumptions.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2021

Learning Functional Priors and Posteriors from Data and Physics

We develop a new Bayesian framework based on deep neural networks to be able to extrapolate in space-time using historical data and to quantify uncertainties arising from both noisy and gappy data in physical problems. Specifically, the proposed approach has two stages: (1) prior learning and (2) posterior estimation. At the first stage, we employ the physics-informed Generative Adversarial Networks (PI-GAN) to learn a functional prior either from a prescribed function distribution, e.g., Gaussian process, or from historical data and physics. At the second stage, we employ the Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) method to estimate the posterior in the latent space of PI-GANs. In addition, we use two different approaches to encode the physics: (1) automatic differentiation, used in the physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) for scenarios with explicitly known partial differential equations (PDEs), and (2) operator regression using the deep operator network (DeepONet) for PDE-agnostic scenarios. We then test the proposed method for (1) meta-learning for one-dimensional regression, and forward/inverse PDE problems (combined with PINNs); (2) PDE-agnostic physical problems (combined with DeepONet), e.g., fractional diffusion as well as saturated stochastic (100-dimensional) flows in heterogeneous porous media; and (3) spatial-temporal regression problems, i.e., inference of a marine riser displacement field. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach can provide accurate predictions as well as uncertainty quantification given very limited scattered and noisy data, since historical data could be available to provide informative priors. In summary, the proposed method is capable of learning flexible functional priors, and can be extended to big data problems using stochastic HMC or normalizing flows since the latent space is generally characterized as low dimensional.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2021

Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) for fluid mechanics: A review

Despite the significant progress over the last 50 years in simulating flow problems using numerical discretization of the Navier-Stokes equations (NSE), we still cannot incorporate seamlessly noisy data into existing algorithms, mesh-generation is complex, and we cannot tackle high-dimensional problems governed by parametrized NSE. Moreover, solving inverse flow problems is often prohibitively expensive and requires complex and expensive formulations and new computer codes. Here, we review flow physics-informed learning, integrating seamlessly data and mathematical models, and implementing them using physics-informed neural networks (PINNs). We demonstrate the effectiveness of PINNs for inverse problems related to three-dimensional wake flows, supersonic flows, and biomedical flows.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

DeepM&Mnet for hypersonics: Predicting the coupled flow and finite-rate chemistry behind a normal shock using neural-network approximation of operators

In high-speed flow past a normal shock, the fluid temperature rises rapidly triggering downstream chemical dissociation reactions. The chemical changes lead to appreciable changes in fluid properties, and these coupled multiphysics and the resulting multiscale dynamics are challenging to resolve numerically. Using conventional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) requires excessive computing cost. Here, we propose a totally new efficient approach, assuming that some sparse measurements of the state variables are available that can be seamlessly integrated in the simulation algorithm. We employ a special neural network for approximating nonlinear operators, the DeepONet, which is used to predict separately each individual field, given inputs from the rest of the fields of the coupled multiphysics system. We demonstrate the effectiveness of DeepONet by predicting five species in the non-equilibrium chemistry downstream of a normal shock at high Mach numbers as well as the velocity and temperature fields. We show that upon training, DeepONets can be over five orders of magnitude faster than the CFD solver employed to generate the training data and yield good accuracy for unseen Mach numbers within the range of training. Outside this range, DeepONet can still predict accurately and fast if a few sparse measurements are available. We then propose a composite supervised neural network, DeepM&Mnet, that uses multiple pre-trained DeepONets as building blocks and scattered measurements to infer the set of all seven fields in the entire domain of interest. Two DeepM&Mnet architectures are tested, and we demonstrate the accuracy and capacity for efficient data assimilation. DeepM&Mnet is simple and general: it can be employed to construct complex multiphysics and multiscale models and assimilate sparse measurements using pre-trained DeepONets in a "plug-and-play" mode.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2020

DeepXDE: A deep learning library for solving differential equations

Deep learning has achieved remarkable success in diverse applications; however, its use in solving partial differential equations (PDEs) has emerged only recently. Here, we present an overview of physics-informed neural networks (PINNs), which embed a PDE into the loss of the neural network using automatic differentiation. The PINN algorithm is simple, and it can be applied to different types of PDEs, including integro-differential equations, fractional PDEs, and stochastic PDEs. Moreover, from the implementation point of view, PINNs solve inverse problems as easily as forward problems. We propose a new residual-based adaptive refinement (RAR) method to improve the training efficiency of PINNs. For pedagogical reasons, we compare the PINN algorithm to a standard finite element method. We also present a Python library for PINNs, DeepXDE, which is designed to serve both as an education tool to be used in the classroom as well as a research tool for solving problems in computational science and engineering. Specifically, DeepXDE can solve forward problems given initial and boundary conditions, as well as inverse problems given some extra measurements. DeepXDE supports complex-geometry domains based on the technique of constructive solid geometry, and enables the user code to be compact, resembling closely the mathematical formulation. We introduce the usage of DeepXDE and its customizability, and we also demonstrate the capability of PINNs and the user-friendliness of DeepXDE for five different examples. More broadly, DeepXDE contributes to the more rapid development of the emerging Scientific Machine Learning field.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2019

What Is the Fractional Laplacian?

The fractional Laplacian in R^d has multiple equivalent characterizations. Moreover, in bounded domains, boundary conditions must be incorporated in these characterizations in mathematically distinct ways, and there is currently no consensus in the literature as to which definition of the fractional Laplacian in bounded domains is most appropriate for a given application. The Riesz (or integral) definition, for example, admits a nonlocal boundary condition, where the value of a function u(x) must be prescribed on the entire exterior of the domain in order to compute its fractional Laplacian. In contrast, the spectral definition requires only the standard local boundary condition. These differences, among others, lead us to ask the question: "What is the fractional Laplacian?" We compare several commonly used definitions of the fractional Laplacian (the Riesz, spectral, directional, and horizon-based nonlocal definitions), and we use a joint theoretical and computational approach to examining their different characteristics by studying solutions of related fractional Poisson equations formulated on bounded domains. In this work, we provide new numerical methods as well as a self-contained discussion of state-of-the-art methods for discretizing the fractional Laplacian, and we present new results on the differences in features, regularity, and boundary behaviors of solutions to equations posed with these different definitions. We present stochastic interpretations and demonstrate the equivalence between some recent formulations. Through our efforts, we aim to further engage the research community in open problems and assist practitioners in identifying the most appropriate definition and computational approach to use for their mathematical models in addressing anomalous transport in diverse applications.

math.NA↗

arXiv2018

Nonlocal flocking dynamics: Learning the fractional order of PDEs from particle simulations

Flocking refers to collective behavior of a large number of interacting entities, where the interactions between discrete individuals produce collective motion on the large scale. We employ an agent-based model to describe the microscopic dynamics of each individual in a flock, and use a fractional PDE to model the evolution of macroscopic quantities of interest. The macroscopic models with phenomenological interaction functions are derived by applying the continuum hypothesis to the microscopic model. Instead of specifying the fPDEs with an ad hoc fractional order for nonlocal flocking dynamics, we learn the effective nonlocal influence function in fPDEs directly from particle trajectories generated by the agent-based simulations. We demonstrate how the learning framework is used to connect the discrete agent-based model to the continuum fPDEs in 1D and 2D nonlocal flocking dynamics. In particular, a Cucker-Smale particle model is employed to describe the microscale dynamics of each individual, while Euler equations with nonlocal interaction terms are used to compute the evolution of macroscale quantities. The trajectories generated by the particle simulations mimic the field data of tracking logs that can be obtained experimentally. They can be used to learn the fractional order of the influence function using a Gaussian process regression model implemented with the Bayesian optimization. We show that the numerical solution of the learned Euler equations solved by the finite volume scheme can yield correct density distributions consistent with the collective behavior of the agent-based system. The proposed method offers new insights on how to scale the discrete agent-based models to the continuum-based PDE models, and could serve as a paradigm on extracting effective governing equations for nonlocal flocking dynamics directly from particle trajectories.

math.NA↗

arXiv2018

Multi-domain Spectral Collocation Method for Variable-Order Nonlinear Fractional Differential Equations

Spectral and spectral element methods using Galerkin type formulations are efficient for solving linear fractional PDEs (FPDEs) of constant order but are not efficient in solving nonlinear FPDEs and cannot handle FPDEs with variable-order. In this paper, we present a multi-domain spectral collocation method that addresses these limitations. We consider FPDEs in the Riemann-Liouville sense, and employ Jacobi Lagrangian interpolants to represent the solution in each element. We provide variable-order differentiation formulas, which can be computed efficiently for the multi-domain discretization taking into account the nonlocal interactions. We enforce the interface continuity conditions by matching the solution values at the element boundaries via the Lagrangian interpolants, and in addition we minimize the jump in (integer) fluxes using a penalty method. We analyze numerically the effect of the penalty parameter on the condition number of the global differentiation matrix and on the stability and convergence of the penalty collocation scheme. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the new method for the fractional Helmholtz equation of constant and variable-order using $h-p$ refinement for different values of the penalty parameter. We also solve the fractional Burgers equation with constant and variable-order and compare with solutions obtained with a single domain spectral collocation method.

math.NA↗